Breastfeeding

Breast milk benefits the health, growth, immunity,
and development of infants, and mothers
who breastfeed may have a decreased risk
of breast and ovarian cancers.1 Among infants
born in 2006, 73.9 percent were reported to
have ever been breastfed, representing a significant
increase over the 68.3 percent of infants
ever breastfed in 1999. Non-Hispanic Black
infants were the least likely to ever be breastfed
(56.5 percent), while Asian/Pacific Islanders
and Hispanics were the most likely (83.1 and
82.1 percent, respectively).

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
that infants be exclusively breastfed—
without supplemental solids or liquids—for the
first 6 months of life; however, 33.1 percent of
infants born in 2006 were exclusively breastfed
through 3 months, and 13.6 percent were exclusively
breastfed through 6 months (data not shown). Breastfeeding
practices vary considerably by a number
of factors, including maternal age—infants
born to mothers aged 30 years and older were
most likely to have ever been breastfed (78.0
percent), while infants born to mothers under
20 years of age were least likely (55.6 percent).
Slightly more than 69 percent of infants born
in 2006 to mothers aged 20–29 years were ever
breastfed.

Maternal employment can also affect whether
and for how long an infant is breastfed; mothers
working full-time are less likely to breastfeed at
6 months than those working part-time or not
at all.2 In 2007–2008, 51.4 percent of mothers
with children under 1 year of age were employed,
and 70.2 percent of those mothers were
employed full-time (data not shown).3

Information on this page can be found in the print version of Women's Health USA 2010. Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Women's Health USA 2010. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010.